VMProtect has "no perceptible effect," game uses "full extent" of CPU by design.

Ubisoft is pushing back against reports that the DRM used in Assassin's Creed: Origins is eating up significant CPU cycles and causing performance problems for many people playing the PC version of the game.

Further Reading

The explosive accusation comes from noted game cracker Voksi, who tells TorrentFreak that an analysis of Origins' binaries shows the game adds a protection method called VMProtect on top of well-known (and now easily cracked) Denuvo DRM. As the VMProtect webpage explains, its software protects crucial game code from cracking via mutation (i.e., obfuscating code with "garbage" commands and misdirected jumps) and virtualization (i.e., running the code in a self-contained "non-standard" virtual machine that is harder to analyze and modify).

Voksi alleges that Origins uses VMProtect's virtualization protection, which "tank[s] the game’s performance by 30-40%, demanding that people have a more expensive CPU to play the game properly, only because of the DRM. It’s anti-consumer and a disgusting move." In a Reddit thread, Voksi further detailed how breakpoint debugging of the code showed VMProtect's code being "called non-stop" in the game's core control loop.

The game's Steam forums are full of anecdotalcomplaints about the game's high CPU usage, including reports of stuttering and reduced frame rates due to frequent CPU bottlenecks. There's also a growing body of YouTube videos showing quad-core CPUs being maxed out or pushed hard while playing the game (though particular settings and CPUs used seem to affect things heavily).

In a statement to Ars Technica, a Ubisoft spokesperson said bluntly that "the anti-tamper solutions implemented in the Windows PC version of Assassin’s Creed Origins have no perceptible effect on game performance." The spokesperson added that the game "uses the full extent of the minimum and recommended PC system requirements... while ensuring a steady 30fps performance."

Those recommended requirements do suggest a relatively beefy Intel Core i7-3770 processor to run the game at "High" video presets, though Ubisoft says a Core i5-2400 should be able to run the game at the "Lowest" level. (VMProtect and Denuvo have yet to respond to a request for comment from Ars).

In any case, Ubisoft's statement suggests that the game using the "full extent" of the CPU at those base requirement and settings levels is by design and not the result of DRM. Ubisoft's promise of "steady 30fps performance" notwithstanding, that level of CPU maximization would leave little room for the game to steadily adapt if and when scenes get more crowded or complicated, which could lead to performance dips. DRM or no, it seems that Origins players may want to invest in a beefier-than-expected CPU to run the game smoothly.

Kyle Orland
Kyle is the Senior Gaming Editor at Ars Technica, specializing in video game hardware and software. He has journalism and computer science degrees from University of Maryland. He is based in the Washington, DC area. Emailkyle.orland@arstechnica.com//Twitter@KyleOrl